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VA-176 THUNDERBOLTS

I am a former member of VA-176. My tour was from 1971 to 1974. I was an AE-AQ-2 when discharged. My name is Mike Stacey. My wife Shirley lived in base housing at NAS Oceana from 1972 to 1974. Both our children, Angela and Michelle were there also.

A little bit about where I was during my time in the Navy. I went to boot camp at Great Lakes from 11 January 71 to 12 April 71. My company was #27. From there I was in AE-A school in Jacksonville, Florida, starting 28 April 71 till 4 November 71. My first orders were to VA-42 for training. I attended the A-6A Electrical systems Framp training from 24 November 71 untill 7 February 72. My next and last orders were to VA-176 where I did two Med cruises till getting out 16 December 74.

Attack Squadron VA-176 flew Douglas AD-6 Skyraider, A-1H Spad, and A-6 Intruder. During my tour this squadron had the A-6-A, A-6-C, and the KA-6D tankers. The Intruder was an all weather aircraft designed to deliver 18,000 pounds of bombs. It's RAG (training unit-Replacement Air Group) squadron VA-42 took on the name Thunderbolts after VA-176 was disestablished 30 June 92. The Thunderbolt name now belongs to the F/A-18 Hornet squadron VMFA-251.

The A-6 was an all-weather, two seat, subsonic, carrier-based aircraft. In spite of its weight, it has excellent slow-flying capabilities with full span slats and flaps. The crew, sitting side by side, can see in all directions through a broad canopy. The A-6 worked around the clock in Vietnam, conducting attacks on the targets with a pinpoint accuracy unavailable through any other aircraft at that time. The A-6 proved once again that it is the best all-weather precision bomber in the world in the joint strike on Libyan terrorist-related targets in 1986. A-6 aircraft were used extensively during Operation Desert Storm. In the early 1990's the Intruders were rewinged with a composite wing replacement. The new wing replaced an older metal wing that showed cracks and metal fatigue. Even with this update, the Intruder was phased out because it still was very maintenance intensive. The last A-6 squadron was disestablished in 1997.

Naval Air Station Oceana is a Master Jet Base located within the city of Virginia Beach, Virginia. There are over seven miles of runway serving the station and transient military air traffic. Oceana was originally carved out of 328 acres of swampland in 1940 as an Auiliary Airfield. Wartime growth pushed it's status to a Naval Air Auxilary Airfield on August 17, 1943 and by war's end the number of men and aircraft aboard had tripled. In 1952 Oceana was designed a Naval Air Station. By 1953 Oceana was an all-weather air station, and by 1957 it was officially designated a Master Jet Base. Today it is a complex of some 6000 acres.

This web site is here for anyone who was aboard FDR or VA 176 Thunderbolt members. I also have added the VA-176 section of the 73-74 cruise book. The link is below.

CVB/CVA/CV-42 USS FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

• USS Franklin D. Roosevelt was lanched 29 April 1945 by the New York Naval Shipyard as the Coral Sea (CVB-42). On 8 May 1945 she was renamed Franklin D. Roosesvelt and commissioned 27 October 1945 with Captain A. Soueek in command. She was reclassified CVA-42 on 1 October 1952.
• As a Midway class carrier, FDR made mostly east coast deployments. She made one deployment to Vietman from 21 June 1966 to 21 February 1967. In 1975 when carriers began to embark dedicated anti-submarine aircraft, the Navy redsignated all the carriers from CVA to CV. This was to reflect their all mission capabilities. Shortly after the FDR was decommissioned and sold for scrap in 1977. During my tour VA-176 was on CVA-42 homeported out of Mayport, Fl.
• During the long ten month cruise of 1972, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42) and Attack Carrier Air Wing Six (CVW-6) was awarded a Meritorious Unit commendation by then Chief of Naval Operations Admiral E.R. Zumwalt Jr.
• Rosie has a list of peace keeping deeds. November and December 1956 found her off the coast of Spain during the Suez Canal crisis. November of 1961 she supported the newly established Dominican Republic democratic government. After emergency propeller repair in 1964, CVA-42 in August patrolled near the island of Cyprus after fighting erupted between Turkish and Greek forces on the island. August 1966 was FDR's only combat operations in Vietnam. After this Rosie did many Med cruises until being scrapped in 1977, She was sold to Union Minerals and Alloys Corporation for $2,111,013.37 under bid #16-8007.

Links Below. Join Facebook groups CVA 42 and VA 176 for current updates and to connect with shipmates.

1. VA-176 Lineage.
2. A great color photo of Rosie.
3. Photo A6 503 and Me
4. Photo of CMD. Richard M. Dunleavy in FDR Ready Room with me to the far left.
5. Photo of My Boot Camp Company #27 Great Lakes.
6. Photo of three VA-176 Inturders in formation.
7. Photo of VA-176 #504 Buno#154142
8. First insigna used by VA-176
9. Photo of FDR from the late 1950's.
10. CVA-42 MED Cruise Patch 1972.
11. FDR in the Bay of Biscay Storm 1972
12. A great page for VA-176 Spad Driver's history and photos.
13. VA 176 cruise book 1973-74.
14. Cathedral Palma.
15. FDR at Palma de Mallorca 1971.
16. Photo of a spad from VFP 62 on the USS Shangri-La.
17. Photo of a spad squadron.
18. Story of Life on FDR.
19. Photo of myself with FDR helicopter.
20. Join VA 176 on Facebook.
21. Join CVA 42 on Facebook.
22. FDR CV-42 Web Site by Larry Blumenthal.